Chapter 174

"We've been followed since this morning." Jon said, getting the attention of everyone in the main tent where all the leaders converged every evening when setting up camps.

"How come we didn't notice anything if we were being followed?" Galbart Glover asked.

"They're excellent trackers. Wearing white leathers and blending in the snow easily." Jon said "Midnight found their tracks this morning when he was out hunting. He… I saw them running away in the distance."

"What were you doing with the wolf so early in the morning?" Harrion Karstark asked "Couldn't get a girl in the cold so you buggered your wolf."

The tent erupted into laughter at that but a single "Enough!" from Lord Commander Jeor Mormont shut them all up.

"How did you see these men when my own scouts didn't?" Lord Commander asked.

Jon hesitated slightly at that but then gritted his teeth and said "I saw it in a wolf dream."

"Wolf dream?" the Lord Commander asked, an incredulous look on his face even as some of the heirs who disliked his half brother started snickering to themselves.

"Yes." Jon nodded, his voice small and soft as he lowered his head in shame and the snickering grew louder.

Rob gritted his teeth, the anger in his heart rose at the dislike the other people showed toward his brother for being a bastard.

He was about to say something on his brother's behalf when a voice cut through the snickering like a knife through butter.

"I believe him."

And the snickering stopped. Just like that.

Everyone looked at the opposite end of the table where Lord Bolton was lounging casually on his chair with an indifferent and bored expression on his face. His hands were behind his head and his legs were on the table with Baka, Varko, Walton and Ygritte standing behind him, all of them looking intimidating in their full body armor.

"Warg usually have dreams when they connect with their bonded animal or bird. My wargs have already told me that both Jon and Robb have the gift. It is not so surprising for Jon to have a wolf dream." Lord Bolton said his piece and closed his eyes.

"My brother is saying the truth." He added quickly, wanting to support his brother and end this argument once and for all "I've been having wolf dreams ever since I got Midnight. My father also knows about this."

The mention of his father stopped anyone from saying anything else on that topic.

Lord Commander Jeor Mormont nodded quietly "Well, if what the lad said is true then we need to find out who is sending scouts after us." Then he frowned "Lord Bolton, you assured us that your wargs are the best scouts out there. How did these scouts went unnoticed by them?"

"They didn't." Lord Bolton said as he removed his feet from the table and stared at everyone in the room. "And we've not been followed since this morning. We've been followed since the past four days."